Kimball Art Center will soon accept submissions for student show

Photography contest entries are being taken now

Photographs such as this are currently being accepted by the Kimball Art Center for its Dream Day at Canyons photography contest, which was made possible by a grant from Vail Resorts. Submissions for the Wasatch Back Student Art Show will be accepted from April 3 to April 7. (Photo courtesy of the Kimball Art Center)

In order for the Kimball Art Center to host the Wasatch Back Student Art Show from April 12 to May 25, it needs artwork.

So, Jenny Diersen, the KAC's education director is hoping young artists from Summit and Wasatch Counties are already thinking about or creating works for submission.

The theme for this year is "What Dreams Are Made Of."

"Students can start dropping off paintings, ceramics, sculptures and other works at the Kimball Art Center's front desk on Thursday, April 3," Diersen said during an interview with The Park Record. "The deadline is Monday, April 7, so that gives them a nice weekend to stop by."

On April 8, Diersen and her staff will start installing the works in the KAC's three galleries.

"We usually receive hundreds of works and it does take us all week to install them, so it's important that students don't miss the deadline," she said.

All shapes and sizes of art will be accepted.

"Students can drop off small works and big works and everything in between," Diersen said. "It is always fun because our theme changes every year, and we like seeing how the students interpret the theme."

Before students can drop off their works, they must fill out an application, which can be picked up at the KAC front desk or downloaded online by visiting www.kimballartcenter.org .

The student show is one of the Kimball Art Center's most popular exhibits and Diersen has seen it grow over the years.

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"When I first worked on the show in 2006, it was just called the Wasatch Back Student Art Show and didn't have a theme," she remembered. "We had maybe 200 to 250 great pieces that came in.

"These days, we have been able to get most of the schools involved and get much more than that," Diersen said. "Some students not only make their own pieces, but also collaborate with their friends on larger pieces."

This year, in addition to paintings, sculptures and ceramics, students can also enter some photography, thanks to the Dream Day at Canyons photography contest.

The contest is open to all Summit and Wasatch County students, which will include public, private, charter and home school students, in grades kindergarten through 12th.

Caitlin Martz, Canyons communications specialist, said the contest was made possible by grant money from the resort's Echo program that focuses on sustainability and community relations.

"Echo was the program that was responsible for more than $500,000 worth of grants that we gave various organizations in Park City last fall, including the Kimball Art Center," Martz said. "It's also important for keep involved throughout the year as well, and partnering with the Kimball Art Center was a great way to do this."

Vail, who took over management of Canyons last year, has always been involved in its resorts' towns.

"Especially since Vail was new to Park City, they wanted everyone in the local, Park City area to know that they take the community seriously," Martz said. "They want people to understand that they are more than just resort owners.

"Everyone recognizes the importance of art in education and this is a cool way to do that, and express themselves," she said.

The KAC felt it appropriate to provide a project that involved the youth with Vail and Canyons Resorts, Diersen said.

"We though that the Wasatch Back Student Art Show would provide the perfect opportunity to do that," she explained.

So the KAC decided to hold the photography contest that would encourage children to think about what their epic day would look like at Canyons.

"There is so much to do up there and it's quite an experience to hang out with a bunch of your friends," Diersen said. "We wanted to see what they could come up with through photography.

"We are exited for this because the contest allows kids to explore the art of photography," she said. "It's a rather new medium and have found that we have the potential of getting some great images because the youth are technology savvy."

The deadline for the Dream Day at Canyons photography contest is Monday, March 24.

"It's always a good idea not to have the photos come in super small," Diersen said. "So I would suggest that they are all at least 300 dpi," Diersen said.

The jury will choose and notify 12 winners no later than March 26.

"Those 12 winners will get to display their photography during the Wasatch Back Student Art Show that will be up at the Kimball Art Center from April 12 to May 25," Diersen said. "Winners will also receive a 2014-15 student ski pass for Canyons."

Submissions for the Dream Day at Canyons photography contest are currently being accepted by the Kimball Art Center via email at submitdreams@kimballart-center.org . Deadline is March 24. Submissions for the Wasatch Back Student Art Show "What Dreams Are Made Of" exhibit that will run from April 12 through May 25 will be accepted from April 3 to April 7. For more information and applications, contact the Kimball Art Center by visiting 638 Park Ave., calling 435-649-8882 or visiting www.kimballartcenter.org.